Pencil Pines and Cypress

How to choose a pencil pine or cypress

For the classic narrow column, the Italian Cypress is the traditional form and in time becomes a tall tree of ten metres or more while staying only a metre or two wide. The Pencil Pine is the Nitschke's Needles selection, valued for a very tight, slim habit. The Swanes Golden Pencil Pine has golden foliage and grows more slowly, which suits smaller gardens and large pots.

For a hedge or windbreak, look to the Leyland cypresses. Leighton Green is a vigorous green form that makes a dense screen quickly and is kept to size with regular trimming. Left alone it becomes a very large tree, so plant it only where you will clip it or where there is room. For foliage colour, Cupressus Blue Ice is an Arizona cypress with silvery blue foliage and a neat conical shape, and the Lemon Cypress has lime yellow foliage that smells of lemon when brushed.

Where pencil pines and cypress grow

These conifers do well in cool and warm temperate climates and in Mediterranean climates with dry summers. They take frost, wind and dry spells once established, and they need full sun and good drainage. In humid subtropical gardens they are more prone to fungal problems, so give them an open position with plenty of air movement, and they are not plants for the tropics. Gold and yellow forms colour well in full sun.

Browse our conifers, the conifers for formal gardens and tall narrow screening plants for more plants of this kind.

Planting and spacing

Plant into well drained soil; on heavy clay, plant on a low mound so water runs away from the roots. For a row of pencil pines along a drive or fence, space them one to one and a half metres apart for a continuous wall, or two to three metres apart to read as separate columns. Space Leyland cypress one and a half to two metres apart for a hedge.

Care basics

Water deeply and regularly for the first two summers, then only in long dry periods. Mulch the root zone and feed lightly in spring with a slow release fertiliser.

The key rule with any cypress is to trim little and often, and only into green growth. Old, bare wood does not reshoot, so a hedge cut back hard stays brown. Start clipping Leyland hedges while they are young, once or twice a year in the warmer months. Pencil pines need little pruning; if heavy rain or wind pulls a leader outwards, tie it back in with soft ties. Watch for browning, dying branches, which can indicate cypress canker, and remove affected wood with clean tools. Our pencil pine guide compares the varieties and their care in more detail.

Common questions

How tall do pencil pines grow?

The Italian cypress can pass ten metres over many years while staying narrow. Golden forms are slower and usually smaller.

How far apart should I plant pencil pines?

One to one and a half metres apart for a solid row, or two to three metres apart if you want distinct columns with gaps between.

Can pencil pines grow in pots?

Yes, for a number of years in a large, heavy pot with free draining mix. Water regularly in summer, because a potted conifer that dries right out may not recover.

Why is my cypress going brown inside?

Some shedding of old inner foliage is normal. Browning of whole branches or outer growth points to water stress, poor drainage or canker and needs attention.